Geomancy
by StormesJay
Summary: Lance thought he could only control earthquakes, but over time his abilities have gotten stronger and stronger. Then, one day, not only is he able to manipulate the ground, but Lance discovers an ability to divine plant life. Currently being Revised R
1. chapter o n e

X-Men: Evolution

Geomancy

StormesJay

chapter **o n e**

"Mr. Alvers?" A nurse's soft voice called out into the waiting room of the high school infirmary office. Lance stood wearily, rubbing his temple gently. He entered without a word and sat on the exam bed, "Another headache?" She walked over to the file cabinet. Even the sound of the drawer opening seemed to make Lance's head pound. She pulled out his file and opened it, clipping the papers to her metal clipboard. She walked back over to the side of the examination table. Lance didn't seem to be faking, which he rarely did. Even though many thought the young man was a trouble maker, Ms. Walker rarely found him in her nurse's office for no reason. He was a good kid.

Lance nodded, keeping his head down in pain, "Yeah." He spoke softly, "Ms. Walker? Can you build a tolerance to aspirin?" He glanced up, keeping his head down and looking like a kicked puppy.

The nurse looked up from her clipboard, tapping her pen against the paper in thought, "Well, you can develop a tolorence to anything. But aspirin isn't right for all headaches. If it's near your eyebrow and it hurts when you see light or hear a sound, then it's probably a migraine, and aspirin doesn't work on migraines. In fact, it makes them worse. Is that what this is?"

"I think so..." Lance rubbed his forehead near his eyebrow, "I thought it was from the heat, or maybe something I ate. I-... I tried to message it away. That usually works, but this time it just won't let up. Is it because of the cafeteria food? That stuff's anything but natural."

Ms. Walker gave a laugh, "Well, that might well be the case. I know someone going through these headaches too, and it turned out to be something else. I need to ask you - and I have no prejudice against anyone, so don't worry - are you a mutant?" She leaned down and put her hand on his shoulder. She really didn't, but Lance didn't look liek he believed her, "That person having the headaches happened to be my boyfriend. Trust me, we're engaged, so I don't have a problem with mutants."

He shrunk a bit, his shoulders slumping as he let out a small sigh. Lance gave a small nod, "Don't tell any of the other students though. I mean, they know, but if they found out I was getting headaches they'd probably use it to their advantage somehow..."

"I won't. I'm going to call your parents to pick you up and take you to the hospital to get these headaches checked out, okay?"

"I don't have parents. Mrs. Darkholme took me in at her boy's home. She's always around the school somewhere. I'll go and tell her."

She knew she probably shouldn't have, but she trusted him, "Alright, go on, then." She smiled and stood up straight, helping him off of the table and to the door, "Here." She held up a pair of thick, dark sunglasses, "These should help with the light."

Lance furrowed an eyebrow and gave half a smirk as he took the glasses in his hand gently, "Um, thanks. I give these back tomorrow."

"Don't worry. Keep them. They don't fit me and their men's sunglasses." Ms. Walker giggled, "Now go on and find her." She pushed Lance playfully out the door and closed it.

Lance, of course, went straight home. His friends were there anyway. Though he found that it didn't help that much, because no later did he open a door than Toad flew into the wall next to him. He peered to the side behind his sunglasses, "Toad, what's going on?" The house was even more messy than usual, things having been slammed about in what seemed to be the midst of a fight.

"I swear I make one joke about that boy's mousse collection and he goes crazy on me!" Toad stood up and rubbed his head.

Pietro glared at Toad madly, "I don't have any, you jerk!" Toad stood, puffing up his chest to make himself look bigger. Pietro sneered at him as the two began to bicker back and forth so much that Lance couldn't even understand what they were saying, though Pietro seemed to have an advantage with his natural speed-talking.

He waved his hands in the air and sighed, hanging his head, "Whatever..." He couldn't deal with this until he had some pain relievers on board. He entered the kitchen in a search — any kind of drug would do. He opened the cabinet filled with bottles and boxes of all different shapes and sizes, "Great..." he said in a rather disgruntled manner as he began to dig swiftly through the miniature plastic and paper jungle. He picked up a prescription bottle with the word "MIDRIN" on the front. He knew it was for migraines, which he knew he had, "Take two once a day as needed for migraines... two..." he poured two pills out by shaking the bottle. He opened another cabinet, which was entirely void of dishes other than one glass and a plate. All the other dinnerware had been broken and chipped during arguments and fights. He pulled out the glass, putting it under the faucet to fill with water. He popped the pills in his mouth and put the glass to his lips, taking a drank.

He walked past his arguing roommates and straight into the living room, flopping onto the couch and turning on the television. He hated the news. He always had. It was always some new headline about how a mutant messed up and broke something on accident and no matter what, mutants were shown in a bad light. He pressed the channel up button continuously until he found a channel he liked, a nice music video channel with plenty of his favorite songs. He put the remote on the floor by the couch and watched quietly.

"What do you mean I'm the one who's not cleaning around here?! You're the toad, Toad! You HATE soap!!" Lance rolled his eyes and picked up the remote, turning up the volume as much as he could without it causing his head to throb.

_Burning..._ Lance looked around the room quickly for the voice he could swear he just heard. He stayed silent, noticing that Pietro and Toad were still arguing, and watched the television again. In about an hour the midrin began to take full effect, and Lance began to feel too drowsy to stay awake. He practically dragged himself up the stairs and closed the door behind him. He flopped down on his bed, almost immediately falling to sleep.

* * *

His mind was clouded with gentle, echoing, hissing whispers and images of burning trees. The voices would say lightly, _Burning... We are dying... _His body began to sweat. His head gaining back it's migraine. His muscles tightened, his brething quickened. He was terrified, and he couldn't tell why. It was only dream. He hoped to God it was just a dream. The cold sweat had drentched his hair before he sat up quickly, "Ah!" he gasped, his abdoment gripping and his eyes darting around ashe looked around his room. He relaxed. Nothing seemed to be wrong. Suddenly, his bed rumbled. Roots and vines grew up from under his bed's frame and grabbed his arms and legs trying to pull them flat against the mattress, "What?! Ahhh!" he screamed as he was pulled against the bed tightly.

"Guah!!" Lance sat up in his bead, drenched in even more sweat than he had been in his dream, "... I'm... okay?!" he looked all over his body, then under his bed; there were no roots in sight. He looked at the clock by his bed, "Ah, hell... Guess I'm staying home..." It read 11:45 AM.

He slowly walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Pietro sat at the table, hunched over a crossword puzzle with a bowl of cereal by his side. Pietro looked up from the puzzle, "'Bout time, sleepy head." he took a bite of his cereal, "You've been asleep since yesterday afternoon. Don't take that much midrin next time." Toad sat on top of the counter, catching flies and bugs that flew near the trash can as he did every morning.

"Shouldn't you guys be at school?" Lance tilted his head.

"What're you talkin' about, man? It's saturday." Toad raised an eyebrow, "Look at the calendar once in a while."

"I'm just.. tired." Lance looked down as he opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of milk and a mini box of cereal, "That midrin kicked my ass."

"Like I said, don't take so much of it..." Pietro repeated, rater distracted by the puzzle.

Lance looked back over his shoulder, "I had a bad headache, alright? Ugh... And I still do... Where's Blob?"

"Eh, he's around somewhere." Pietro looked back to his crossword puzzle intently.

Toad smirked and hopped off of the counter, "Ah, a full day's supply of protein!"

Lance sighed and put the carton of milk down, taking a sniff, "I'm gonna go watch tv." he walked to the doorway, "By the way, that milk's gone bad." Pietro spat out the spoonful of cereal with milk he had, making a rather disgusted face.

Lance turned on the television and sat down. He liked what was on — one of his favorite music videos — but he couldn't help but think about his dream. Instinctively, he reached for the remote and changed the channel to the news. He froze when he saw the images of a burning forest appear on the screen, "No way..."

"Fear strikes west Bayville as our local forest is set aflame by what police believe might be a case of arson." the reporter chirped before Lance turned the tv off.

Pietro rubbed his mouth clean from having freshly rinsed it out with mouthwash as he walked into the living room, "We need to go shopping today-.. What's wrong?"

"... Did you hear the news?"

"Yeah, so? Some trees are on fire, whatever."

"No... I saw it in my dream last night..." Lance stared straight ahead at the tv.

Pietro tilted his head in doubt, "What? Are you saying you're a psychic?"

"I don't know... It was kind of like I was... Like I was the forest. I could feel it's pain. I felt the fear of the animals... and the heat of the fire... I was like we were connected somehow."

"Okay, first of all, the planet isn't a person, it's a rock, and second, You can cause earthquakes, how the hell are you able to read the feeling of wood and animals? Stop pulling my leg." Pietro snorted, wrinkling his nose and crossing his arms.

"I'm dead serious, Pietro! I wouldn't lie about something like this." Lance insisted. Pietro picked up on the serious tone in his voice.

"We need to get a hold of Mystique." He lowered his head a bit, keeping his eyes directly on Pietro.


	2. chapter t w o

chapter **t w o**

They knew it was going to be hard to get a hold of Mystique, seeing as she had all but been sent into another dimension. There hadn't been contact for months now, not even a single postcard or phone call. Lance didn't even know what this was, but he didn't want to wait for Mystique to try and find out. He had come up with a plan, join the X-Men again, find out what was going on, then leave right after. He knew the Brotherhood would understand the plan enough not to screw it up. He could give Pietro that much credit, at least.

He left the note on the front door, written in his rather neat handwriting, "Be back soon. Going to X-Men to find out powers. Act like we're enemies around them."

* * *

The professor gladly allowed Lance to enter his leather furniture filled office, "Welcome, Mr. Alvers. Please, take a seat. Can I help you with anything?"

Lance walked in cautiously, paying close attention to Scott's staring. He took a seat in the leather chair directly in front of Xavier "I think I need to join again. I'm getting these weird... senses, and I don't know what to do about them."

"What kind of senses have you gained?" The professor leaned in a bit.

Lance was only a bit shifted by the professor's interest, "Well... I had this dream about burning.. Leaves were burning, animals were running, and the really weird thing it that I felt the trees pain and sorrow... It was like I was the tree... I know this sounds... stupid... But you understand, right?" He grimaced and raised a brow.

"Yes, yes. Go on." Xavier gave a warm half-smile.

"... Yeah, well, I turned on the news and whadoyaknow, there's a suspected arson crime in the Bayville forest. I don't know what I did... Maybe I started it, I don't know..."

"Let me assure you, Mr. Alvers, there's no way you cold have done that. I think you might have done something far from it. Nevertheless, I suggest you stay here for a while, train with us so we can find out exactly what powers you have." Professor Xavier held his hand out trustingly.

Lance smiled a bit and shook his hand, "Maybe this time Summers will be a little more trusting." Lance gave Scott a confident look. Scott huffed and turned his head, breaking the eye contact. Lance smirked and stood up, knowing that for now, there was nothing Scott could do to stop him from staying. If the professor wanted him her, he was going to be here, "Has someone filled my old room? Or do I stay there again?"

"Your room is empty, go ahead and move in tonight. I'm sure you remember the way."

* * *

Kitty picked a perfect red apple out of the blue fruit bowl on the counter top in the kitchen. She took a crisp bite of it, making a cracking noise as the piece broke away. She chewed happily and opened the fridge, not even noticing as Lance walked into the kitchen behind her. She stood up straight with the apple in her mouth and a jug of orange juice in her grasp. She closed the door with her hip, walking over to the counter and pulling down a glass. Lance turned the coffee pot on. She filled the glass and put the orange juice back in the fridge. Upon closing the door again she looked up, "AHH!" she screamed, the apple falling down into the glass of orange juice, getting lodged at the top, "Lance!"

Lance quickly turned when he heard her scream, grasping onto the counter top, "Ah! Kitty! Don't do that!" He clutched his chest, currently covered by a ripped black tank top.

Kitty huffed, "Me? You're the one sneaking around! What are you doing here?" she put the glass on the counter and walked up to Lance, hugging him and kissing his cheek.

"I've been getting some new powers... So Professor X is helping me out until we figure out what's going on." Lance smiled at her hug and kiss.

"Will you be staying?" Kitty looked slightly hopeful.

"Haven't decided yet." She sank a bit, "... We'll see how it goes. But definitely until my powers are stable." Lance smiled again, "I better go change, though, Logan wants me to train with him to see what I'm capable of so far." He let her go and headed out the door.

* * *

Logan and Lance walked into the clearing of a forest. Logan turned toward Lance and crossed his arms stiffly, "The Professor wanted me to take you here to see what you could feel. A lot of stuff has happened here, and I know every detail, I want you to go over to that tree there and put you hand on it, see what you feel, then tell me what you think happened."

Lance nodded quietly and headed to the tall oak tree. He placed his hand gently on the bark of the tree, closing his eyes and focusing. The energy felt so comfortably warm, like a loving mothers touch, or the warm dirt in a summer forest. He smiled, accepting the flow of memories that surged from it's aura. He lifted his head and turned, "It says that Kitty and you eat lunch under here on Tuesdays, then you go out for training in the canyon."

Logan smirked confidently, "You're right, kid." Logan walked over, "Looks like the Professor was right about you."

"What he say?" Lance dropped his arm to his hips, disconnecting from the tree. He suddenly felt cold and sad, and his body language showed it.

"He said you've got plenty of potential." Logan patted Lance's shoulder and turned, "We'll continue to train tomorrow. Bright and early, got that?"

"Yeah, I got it." Lance looked down at his hand, "But I still have more time and energy, do you want me to just sit around?"

"Kiddo, it's Sunday. Enjoy it while it lasts, because tomorrow is your first day of hell."

* * *

_Lance, you're beginning to hear us clearly now, but you still have much to learn._ Lance opened his eyes smoothly. "Huh?" He looked to the side, for some reason, he felt like he was still dreaming. He sat up quickly, looking around at the tree branches that had grown against the walls around his room. His eyes darted in shock, "Whoa..." He didn't even mean to do it. He didn't even think he could do that. He got out of bed and walked to the door. Vines and branches had grown over the door knob, preventing his exit. He hissed through his teeth in a bit of frustration, then looked over to the window, the source of the plant growth. He pulled the leaves and branches out of the way, "Looks like this is my way out for now..." After getting dressed he walked over to the window, grabbed a sturdy vine and slid down.


	3. chapter t h r e e

chapter** t h r e e**

"This training session is focused on concentration of your abilities, so we'll be doing Yoga." Logan's voice grunted, "... And since Lance's new, we'll do a run through our positions first. Remember to breathe a deep, slow breath in, hold it gently, then release when you move next in a slow flow."

Lance didn't like being the new one, he didn't like it last time either. Being newer to the X-Men than Multiple always seemed to make him feel stupid and gawked at. He was newer than Bobby, Jubilee, even Jayson. He followed Logan's movements, and strangely his balance was stable. As both his feet were pressed firmly against the grass he felt the warmth again, flowing through his legs, up to his chest and head, and then flowing to his hands and concentrating there. He had felt this even before his new powers, but it had always been less warm and more tingly than now. More splintery and choppy than smooth and flowing. When it drew to the end of the lesson, the group went into meditation. Lance felt the energy building inside. He was completely relaxed, and his mind was silently clear. His muscles, his mind, his chi, all of it was entirely at peace. He was inches away from nirvana, it seemed.

"... Lance? ... Hey, kiddo." Lance opened his eyes, waking from his trance to see Logan and the others staring at him.

"What?" he asked quizzically before shifting his leg and feeling something brush up against it. He raised an eyebrow, looking down at his feet. The grass had grown a strong foot around him. He paused and looked up, blushing a bit. Kitty blinked, shocked at what she was seeing, "I didn't know I was doing it, honestly! What's with you people!!" Lance grew defensive, as if he had just sprouted a stiff one in class.

Logan raised an eyebrow, "It's alright. I think that enough yoga for today. Everyone but Lance, you're all dismissed." The other students dispersed, the last one to leave being Kitty, leaving only Lance, standing in the high grass he had just grown, "Is this another one of you new powers?" He placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head.

"... Don't ask me... You're the expert." Lance had grown embarrassed, blushing and stuttering while not making any eye contact with his teacher.

"Listen, kid, I know it's probably gotta be pretty confusing right now, but there was nothing wrong with what just happened. It just like... Well, it's kinda like mutant puberty."

"Great, just what I need..." Lance looked down a bit.

"Just remember to stay calm about it. If you don't, your powers will have control, not you." Logan took Lance's shoulder in his hand.

"Easy fro you to say, it's not like you had much 'mutant puberty' to go through." Lance said, a bit nettled by the stereotypical answers Logan was giving.

"A long, long time ago, kid. Even just havin' claws is hard to get used to." Lance looked up at him for a moment. Just how old was Logan? He didn't look much older than his mid forties. But still, he just nodded silently, "Just try not to make the grass grow more than about three inches next time, because that's going to be pretty hard to mow."

Lance let out a bit of a laugh through his nose, though it was hardly enthusiastic, "Alright. I'll try."

"Good, get outta here." Logan released Lance's shoulder.

* * *

Lance could barely pay any attention to Scott. Not only did they not get along, but Scott's preaching about control and honor really got on his nerves. He leaned back in his seat and jutted his bottom jaw out, huffing air upward and shifting his brown-black bangs. He hung his arm over the back of his chair and played with the fingers of his other hand.

"Alvers." Scott addressed. Lance looked up, "Do you want to be here?"

"Not particularly, honor and valor aren't really my style." Lance smirked a bit; his smirk was similar to Logan's.

"Well, seeing as our opinions are so different, why don't you come up here and explain why." Scott put one hand on his hip and gestured for Lance to come up.

Lance slipped out of his chair quietly and walked to the front of the class room, "Alright, then." Lance looked ahead to the room filled with students, all of their eyes fixed on him. "I don't like honor because it takes too much time." Lance explained, "You have to find a way to make yourself look good. And that takes so long — especially for someone like Scott, here — that by the time you do, you've been squashed. Believe me, I've tried the whole diplomacy and honor thing, and I don't think it works. You have to take your chances when they come along. That's how you make it." He looked at Scott, "So can I sit down now?"

Scott gave Lance a glare as a few of the students gave a chuckle at the previous comment about him, "... Fine, take a seat, but no more slumping. Try to pretend like your interested..."

Lance strode proudly to his seat and relaxed. He closed his eyes as Scott continued. His mind slowly drifted off again, eventually reaching the thought of Kitty. He smiled and looked over his shoulder at her. Kitty smiled back and winked before fixing her eyes on Scott again. Lance turned back and stared ahead. Logan turned away from the door after his eavesdropping was complete. He sighed, crossing his arms and walking away.

* * *

"The kid's got talent, I'll give you that, but he's got some major problems he's gotta deal with before he can start making progress." Logan reported as he sat in the leather dawned chair in front of Xavier's desk.

"Yes, I believe you're right. Seeing as he had been moving from foster home to foster home since 10 until he joined the Brotherhood, there is no doubt in my mind that until he gets a hold of the proper instincts he won't be able to handle these changes."

"I'm thinking of taking him somewhere he can think. You know, some place that has nothing but trees, waterfalls and rocks. That might clear his mind."

"That might be the best thing to do for him at this point. I've scanned his mind, and he certainly does have a lot to clear. But for some reason it was very difficult for me to get through..." Xavier laced his hands and rested his chin on them, "I'd like you to keep a close eye on him."

"You got it." Logan stood up, putting his hands in his pockets, "We'll leave tomorrow. For now you might wanna think about pullin' him outta school and putting him in home school. It's probably best that he doesn't have to worry about stuff like that."

"That would be best. I'll make the calls tomorrow." Xavier smiled.


	4. chapter f o u r

chapter** f o u r**

Lance clutched the armrests of his seat in the X-Jet, feeling the nausea rising up in him, "Ughhh, I hate flying..." he grumbled quietly.

Logan gave a quick glance before popping a small drawer open, pulling out a jar of sliced ginger, "Take one, it'll calm your stomach down." Lance took a slice and placed it on his tongue, making a funny face at the tingly taste in his mouth, "Yeah, the professor and I think it has something to do with you connection to the earth's energy. If your too high up, the connection is severed, and you start to feel sick. Kinda like how Amara can't bee off land for too long."

Lance recognized the name, but he couldn't really remember her. He began to chew on the slice of ginger before swallowing it and gasping silently, "Guh... How long before we get there?"

"A few more hours. We'll be going to bed right after we land, though. Otherwise your going to have a nasty case of jet-lag." Logan payed close attention to the skies ahead.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Japan." Logan said calmly.

Lance raised an eyebrow then sat up in his seat with a look of complete shock, "What?! I don't speak Japanese! I've never even eaten sushi!"

"I'll translate 'n' teach... Just calm down. It has a good environment. Lots of nature so you can get your head straight." Logan gruffed. Lance sat back down and gave a worried look ahead.

* * *

(The House - k41./g4/81/662581/2/61118636.DSC15820517.jpg

The house was beautiful, endowed with the traditional ancient Japanese garden and structure. The sand was so corse, soft, and perfectly combed that Lance felt guilty stepping on it. A female attendant smiled and bowed to them, "Good evening, sirs. Your home has prepared for your arrival." she stood up straight and handed Logan the keys.

"Thank you." Logan responded; his Japanese was absolutely perfect.

Lance blinked cluelessly at the two as they spoke, "Enjoy your stay." She bowed and walked away, facing them respectively until she reached the gate.

"What did you two just talk about?" Lance looked at Logan.

"Nothing, really. Just welcoming us." he opened the door to the house. It was practically empty, but the items that were there were so beautiful that they made up for the open space. The back doors wee open to let the cool spring breeze blow through.

Lance put his bag on the ground and looked around the room, "We're staying here?"

"Yep. Go get settled. I'm going to rest." Logan slid the door leading to the stairs and bedrooms open, closing it behind him.

Lance, out of curiosity, walked out the open back door. He walked to the edge of the deck and looked over the edge. A beautiful waterfall fell maybe one hundred feet before crashing into a large water hole. Lance smiled, "Wow..."

He walked back inside and grabbed his bag, sliding the same door Logan did and walking up the stairs, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Wake up, kiddo." Lance felt Logan's strong hand on his shoulder, shaking it gently. He grunted lazily and opened one eye, the other one closed to keep out the light, "Get ready, we eat breakfast, then train." Logan stood up and left the room.

Lance sat up and rubbed his shoulders, "This bed-mat... thing is weird to sleep on..." He yawned, stretching his arms up into the air.

Logan put some white rice in a small bowl and put it next to a small plate with a steamed fillet of trout on it.

Lance looked at him quizzically, "This is all the guys over here eat?"

"Yeah, and look at how long they live. Eat up." Logan sat down on one of the mats surrounding the low table. Lance sat down on the mat and adjusted his legs to a comfortable position. Logan whipped the chop sticks into his hands and scooped a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Lance cautiously picked the sticks up and tried t scoop the rice up like Logan, only to spill it over the edge, "Argh... How do you guys eat with these things?"

"It's called grip. Here let me show you." Logan grabbed a hold of Lance's hand, putting his fingers into the right positions, "Now try."

Lance tried once more, successfully scooping the rice into his mouth, "Cool." he smiled a bit and continued to eat.

* * *

"Alright, now that you have your gi on, I think we can train." Logan crossed his arms confidently.

Lance gave a hopeless look before looking over himself again. He wore white martial arts gi with white leggings underneath and tai chi shoes on his feet, "I feel ridiculous."

"Humility is all part of it. Besides, you look fine. Now go balance on that plank of wood." Logan pointed to a plank of wood resting on two separate tree stumps.

Lance looked at the board, "But, Logan, it's like- half an inch thick. It'll break under me."

"Trust me, you keep your balance and concentration, you'll be fine. Now get on."

Lance cautiously stepped onto the tree stump, then began to inch his way onto the think slice of wood.

"More toward the center, kid. Keep your balance. Just focus on you thoughts." Logan instructed as the teen moved more and more to the center of the wood. Lance accidently leaned back. With a snap, the wood broke in half and Lance landed on his back side.

"Ow!" he whined and rubbed his lower back, "Great..."

"Keep tryin' I have plenty of wood." Logan pointed to a pile seven feet high of wood, "Go get one and start over."

* * *

Once again, the wood broke in the center, and lance landed on one foot before falling on his backside again, "ARGH!" he let out a loud groan of frustration, "This is impossible...!" he looked over at Logan.

"Keep tryin', kid. We're not going to bed until you're balanced enough to stand in the center for longer than that." Logan swallowed a shot of sake and put the small cup down, filling it again, "Get another plank."

"We're out..." Lance looked to the blank space where the wood once laid.

"It's alright, there's a carpenter down the road with plenty of wood. Go get a wagon's worth." Logan took another shot.

Lance looked down the road, "Where? I don't see it..."

"About half a mile down." Lance gave Logan a shocked look, "Don't look at me like that. Take the wagon and go get wood." Logan ordered.

Lance walked over to the wagon. It had a handle bar where the person stood either behind it to pull it up hill, or in front of it to pull it down hill. He sighed and took hold of it.

* * *

It had been an hour since Lance had left, and he was just now getting back, drenched in sweat with the wagon dragging behind him, "Logan I--" he huffed, "I have the wood..."

"Good. Keep training." Logan took his seat again and gestured for Lance to continue. Lance gave a tired sigh and took a plank of wood, placing it on the tree stumps. another hours passed as the same routine continued. Logan took one last shot of sake before hearing Lance laughing.

"I'm doing it!" Logan looked back over his shoulder at a perfectly balanced Lance, "Look, Logan, I'm doing it!"

"Yep, looks like it. Get down from there now. We'll keep training tomorrow. Go inside and change." Logan instructed sternly. Lance smiled and stepped off the plank of wood.

-

"Kid?" Logan opened the door to Lance's room, "It's time for-..." He stopped when he saw Lance, splayed across his sleep mat, asleep, only in his underwear and undershirt. Logan tilted his head back with a smirk and walked over. He gently rolled lance over and tucked him into his blanket. He stood up and walked back to the door, "Good work today, kiddo." He turned off the light and closed the door.


	5. chapter f i v e

chapter **f i v e**

Lance sat up, the blanket over him falling down to his hips. He raised an eyebrow; he didn't remember being in bed so neatly. He shrugged, slipping out from under the blanket and grabbing his toothbrush and heading into the bathroom. He opened the door to the bathroom and stopped at what he saw, "... Logan? Where's the toilet?" he called out, knowing Logan was awake.

"You're looking at it." Logan replied from the other room.

The toilet was a hole in the floor with a wooden hatch. Lance tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, "There's no... seat or... anything..." He said before giving a quiet sigh and closing the door behind him.

"We're going into town today, so get dressed." Logan informed while slipping his coat over his shoulder.

Lance slid the door of the bathroom open, "I haven't taken a shower yet! Give me a second..." He ran blindly out of the hall, then walked back slowly, "Where is the shower?"

"Over there." Logan pointed.

Lance nodded and dashed into the room hastily.

* * *

Lance's hair was still slightly damp as he slipped into the car, "Even the cars here are weird... Shouldn't I be where you are?"

"Just sit and be quiet, will ya?" Logan jutted his bottom lip out in a scowl, "Only cars in Canada and America are that way, kiddo. Everywhere else they're like this."

"Wait a second... _We're_ the weird ones?" Lance buckled himself in. Logan let out a grumbling sigh and pulled out of the driveway.

"Fish! Fish for sale! Fresh fish!" An old man shouted from behind his fish decorated stand.

Lance looked all around himself; there was so much more going on in the town market than anywhere else he had been so far. There were so many people pitching their sales, pitching their products, and making deals. Logan grabbed his hand and pulled him close. A man on his bike rode right through the spot he was once in just a few moments ago, "Watch out."

"Oh.. Yeah, sorry. Guess I zoned out." He stared ahead as Logan let go of his hand. They stopped at one of the many stores. Logan opened the door for Lance. Lance slowly walked in as Logan closed the door behind him, "What is this place?"

"It's a grocery store. Grab a basket and go get some snacks for yourself. I'll get our food." Logan grabbed a basket and walked off.

Lance looked around the store. The shelves and isles were stacked full with small, single serving boxes of cereal and small compact packs of candy or chips, "They must have really small cabinets in Japan..." he said quietly before plucking a basket from the stack. He entered one of the isles, looking over the items and putting two boxes of cereal in his basket. He looked at a small box with a boy with a full mouth and Japanese characters on the front. He picked it up and looked it over with a befuddled look.

"That rice candy. Very good." a soft voice said with a thick Japanese accent. Lance turned. A young woman in a grocery store uniform and apron and her hair up in a high pony tail stood by him.

"You speak English." Lance commented.

"I'm from Tokyo. Lots of people speak English." Her 'l's were mispronounced because of her accent, "You want try that? I give you free sample." She smiled.

Lance looked at the box, then at her, "Alright, I'll try it." He held the box calmly.

The girl pulled a small square candy out of her pocket, "You eat rice paper too." she pointed to the wrapper. Lance took the candy and popped it in his mouth. The girl waited for his reaction as he chewed, "You like?"

"... Pretty good." He said aloofly, "I get his then. Thanks."

"You welcome. Have fun day!" she bowed and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight Lance grabbed four more boxes of the rice candy and piled them in the basket like an addict.

Lance put a basket filled with cereal boxes, rice candy, a bag of chips, three buckets of assorted flavors of pockey, and vegetable packs on the checkout desk. Logan gave a smirk as he unloaded the items, "You got samples, didn't you?"

"What!? Maybe I had an instinct... Yes." Lance sighed, "I really like the rice candy."

"¥ 6814.87, please." the cashier requested politely.

* * *

"What am I going to train with today?" Lance put the last box of food away.

"You have your balance down, now we work on your concentration." Logan explained, "We're going to go down to the pond down there and meditate."

"Meditation? But last time I did that the grass-"

"When you learn to let your thoughts come and go, that won't happen, and you might be able to find a way to control it." Logan interrupted.

Lance looked down with a slightly worried look, "Alright."

* * *

"Just breathe. Slowly." Logan instructed calmly.

Lance Kept his eyes closed and took a slow deep breath through his nose, then let out a slow breath through his mouth. He let his thought come and go, and concentrated on his breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out.

Logan did the same, "Breath in... And breathe out."

The grass around Lance began to grow again once his energy synced with the earth's. He focused on the growth and forced the grass back down. The grass slowly lowered back to it's normal length. He continued to breathe calmly.

"Now make the grass grow." Logan said suddenly.

Lance raised his eyebrows, keeping his eyes closed. He relaxed then focused on the grass. The grass began to grow higher and higher until it was up to Lance's neck. He stopped, and the grass stopped growing. He opened his eyes and pulled the grass out of the way, "Hey! Look! I made it stop."

"Good. I think you're ready to move to the next step."

"What's the next step...?"

"Using your powers on something bigger."


	6. chapter s i x

_:Okay, As one of my reviewers has said, I **have** been a tad skimpy on the descriptions, so I'm going to try my best to add in adjectives and vivid writing. As for the characters, this is probably the best I can do with the roles they have in the show without changing them drastically, but as the story goes on, there will be more depth in Lance's character, trust me. Logan, I'm afraid, I cannot really add anything too because of his amnesia and antisocialism, But his relationship with Lance is blossoming, so that might add a bit. Thank you, Bowles, for the critique and wish me luck!:_

chapter** s i x**

Lance stood in the middle of the forest near the house, bathed in the Japanese afternoon light. His white martial arts gi reflected the light, making him almost glow. He looked over his shoulder at Logan with a cautious stare, "Hey, man, are you sure about this..?"

"Positive. You can do it. Now try." Logan crossed his arms, keeping a close eye on his student. He slowly sat down, crossing his legs and picking up his bottle of sake and his sake cup.

Lance closed his eyes and held his hands out above the ground. His face was entirely relaxed as he felt the warm energy of the land flow into his arms and legs, circulate in his chest and head, and then return to his hands and concentrate. He opened his fists to let the energy return to the earth. The leaves of the trees began to wave and whip as they grew. Lance moved his left hand down, the branches followed his movement and grew downward. He swung his left hand up, the branches quickly grew upward. He clenched both of his fists and dragged the energy out of the branches. As their energy was drained, they hardened into strong roots. He let out a loud huff as he relaxed, the energy of the earth flowing out of him slowly and resting like fog against the ground. The growing and moving of the grass and trees stopped. He rubbed his head as a headache slowly drilled in.

Logan walked up behind the teen, taking hold of his shoulder, "See? Once you have concentration there's nothin' to it." He gave a proud smirk, "We'll stay here for another couple of weeks and work on that skill of yours. Maybe learn some martial arts."

Lance smiled warmly, "I just thought I could cause earthquakes..."

"Go inside and get out of these." Logan tugged on the shoulder of Lance's shirt, "Take a shower too." Logan turned and walked toward the long trail stairs leading up to the house.

"But I'm not dirty..." Lance sniffed his clothes and shrugged.

"... You're going to be. I need these two buckets filled with water and taken up to the house." Logan pointed to two huge wooden bucket and a wooden pole, "See ya." He began to walk up the steps.

"What!?" he reached out toward Logan, then dropped his arm hopelessly, "Aww..."

* * *

Huffing and panting, an exhausted Lance finally reached the top of the stairs. He banged the two buckets on the floor, causing a slight quake out of frustration, "Thank God!" he groaned before flopping down onto the stone covered ground.

"Logan! I have the water..." Lance dragged the buckets inside and put them by the door way, "Logan?" he looked around the living room, seeing no one. He slid open the door to the kitchen, "Lo-" Logan turned, a tear going down his cheek, "...gan??" Lance raised an eyebrow, "Um, is something wrong?"

"What?" Logan rubbed his cheek and looked at his hand, "Oh, that. Spring onions. Little pains in the neck..." he stepped out of the way to show Lance a cutting board with half chopped onions on it.

Lance fluttered his eyelids out of confusion, "Ooookay." He pouted a bit, "I'm just going to go take a shower. The water's by the door." Lance closed the door behind him.

Logan turned back around and closed his eyes, "Man he smells horrible." He began to chop again.

--

Lance slid into the bamboo lined bathtub filled with perfectly warm water. The steam only made the bath more relaxing. Lance looked over his body. His wet flesh glistened in the florescent light cast upon it. Lance leaned his head, letting it fall back with it's own weight. He breathed slowly as his thin, black hair slowly fell back with gravity. He closed his eyes drearily and began to remember old memories.

* * *

It was horrible in California, but it was even worse in Illinois. When he was in California, at least his parents were happy all the time, even if it was only because of the drugs they took. But when they lost custody and he was sent to Illinois he didn't have them, and he had been launched into a new family in a new home. A new home that didn't accept people who were at all different, let alone mutants. It only got worse when he moved to another home in a different city. Northbrook was a horrible place to be if you were a mutant. And his foster parents were less than accepting of the mutant kind. His powers began to show when he started to go to high school. When his foster parents found out, a long discussion about "hiding" and "pretending" ensued. He hated his foster parents from the minute on. His foster father began to ignore him when he had outbreaks at school, and his foster mother did nothing about his discomfort and lack of esteem. So Lance decided to be someone no one could like, since no one liked him already. The first time he had shown any part of his actual self since then was when he met Kitty. But even then, he was hiding. The Brotherhood succeeded in opening him up, because he had no restraints. Even then, he was still hiding. Now, all of the sudden, Logan had been able to get the actual him to get out. It baffled Lance, because he never thought anyone would understand.

* * *

Lance ruffled his wet hair in a towel as he walked into his room. The cold night air flowing in from the window made him shiver, "Ah! Geez..." he walked over, the towel resting over his shoulders, and closed the window. Once he was dry and dressed he walked back out into the living room, "Hey Logan-..." he looked down at the table and saw Logan, dead asleep with flushed skin from the sake, "I'll talk to you tomorrow..." he gave a half smirk.


	7. chapter s e v e n

_:Alright, just to let all of you know before you read, I'm inserting two weeks of training here. That's right, insert Rocky Balboa montage here. Anyway, two weeks of hard training have passed. Thanks all for reading!:_

chapter **s e v e n**

Lance had just gotten out of bed as Logan hooked the telephone back on it hook, "Who was that?"

Logan turned with the look on his face that said "We're going on a mission." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "Did you have a dream about any arsons?"

"No. Why? Was there one?" Lance scratched his head, ruffling his messy hair into his face.

"There have been two in all the time we've been here. We need to head back and see if you can get an info out of the trees." He walked by Avalanche. A feeling of guilt and weakness flushed over Lance. His head dropped in shame, "We'll leave in two hours, be ready, because we're going to book it at top speed."

"Right." Lance said disappointedly as he sunk back into his room to pack. Logan gave him a concerned stare as he slid the door of the room closed.

* * *

The X-Jet landed just by the singed forest. Avalanche suddenly felt the heavy weight of grief land on his shoulders as he connected to the burnt ground of the land. As the stairs of the jet lowered Logan took a hold of Avalanche's forearm, "Remember, focus on the trees." he let is hand slide down Avalanche's arm and swing loose.

"Avalanche, I'm glad you came." Xavier turned his wheelchair to face the two as they walked off the end of the stairs, "It seems there have been more arsons in your absence. Have you had any premonitions?"

"No... I really don't know why I didn't..." Avalanche said in a low tone, looking down at to the side with his eyes drained of confidence.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. It could be that your powers haven't developed to the point where you can determine the future of places out of your general area. If you were in Japan, I believe it was very unlikely that you'd be able to sense arsons all the way over here." Xavier explained smoothly, "But what we need right now is your ability to sense the memories of the trees to find out who's hand is at work here."

Avalanche nodded. Xavier's explanation was comforting to him, and definitely cleared some of the foggy confusion as to why he wasn't able to sense the arsons. He approached one of the burt trees, walking past Shadowcat and Jean. Shadowcat gave him a quiet wave and smile. Avalanche returned the notion before reaching his destination. He raised his hand and placed it on the bark. He felt the energy start to flow before to images began to stream through his head, _The burning! It hurt me! My leaves... My leaves are gone. I am naked..._ is what he could sense the tree wanted to say. Images of fire and the death of forest creatures flooded his mind as a headache grew. He grunted in pain as he thickened the connection. The foggy image of a man dressed in a red jumpsuit with gasoline tanks on each arm began to sharpen, forming a sharp, clear image. Avalanche pulled his hand away with a gasp before clutching his head, "Ah!" he sighed before hissing in pain, "It's Pyro... He's been doing this... My head..." he squinted his eyes.

Shadowcat ran over and grabbed a hold of Avalanche's arm, "Lance, are you okay?!"

Avalanche took a hold of Shadowcat's hand, "I think I'll be fine..."

Jean clenched her hand into a fist, "We have to find him before he does this again. Hurry, let's head back." She floated into the X-Jet.

Avalanche felt Shadowcat's hands tighten around his arm out of concern, "C'mon, let's go." She helped him to the X-Jet, Logan helping to carry him her once she reached the stairs.

* * *

"Where is he? Can you sense him yet?" Avalanche readjusted himself in his seat. His headache was gone, but the nausea had returned with a vengeance. Shadowcat tightened her grip on his hand.

"I'm trying, but he seems to be blocking me out somehow... I can't quite tell where he is, but he is in Bayville." Xavier lowered his hands off of his temples.

"Here, let me try." Jean focused for a moment, "... Argh... No, I can't tell where he is either."

"Wait a second!" Avalanche sat up in his chair, startling Shadowcat, "He can block us from his mind, but he can't block me from the trees, right?"

"You could be right, but even so, your powers haven't developed enough for you to make a full connection to the earth. I'm not sure if you can do that yet, at least with out hurting yourself." Xavier looked back at Avalanche.

Avalanche furrowed his brow, "Let me try." he put his fingers on his temples and focused. The connection had to be made slowly because of how far from the earth he was, but once it hit, it hit hard. It was like a crowded auditorium at an elementary school. His head began to ache more than ever. He found a specific memory of Pyro entering a warehouse, then tried to locate the plant it belonged to. The headache grew worse, this had to be a very small plant. It was, a lone daffodil sat by the Bayville lumber mill. Avalanche disconnected and fell forward, "Ah!" he huffed, "He's at the Lumber mill."

Xavier gave a surprised stare, "Right, then." He turned forward and laced his fingers together.

"Lance, you shouldn't overuse you powers!" Shadowcat insisted, "It can really hurt you." She pulled his hair out of his face, "Oh my God, Lance, you have a nosebleed!"

"I'm fine!" he wiped the blood out from under his nose, "It's just a nosebleed, probably from being in this jet for too long."

Shadowcat pulled out a cloth and wiped the rest of the blood away, "Lance..." she sighed.

* * *

The jet landed just outside the lumber mill. The hatch opened as they exited. Avalanche practically ran for the door when he got off of the stairs, "Avalanche!" Shadowcat held her hand out as he stopped and turned, "Slow down!"

"I need to find him! I can't forgive him for what he's done!" He walked toward the door. Shadowcat dropped her arm with a frustrated pout. Jean and the others began to follow him as he entered. The door slammed behind Avalanche, startling him into turning back to it.

"'Ello, mate." an Australian accent rang out in pure confidence. Avalanche turned back around, "Welcome to m'little hideaway. What bring you here, then?"

"Pyro..." Avalanche growled, "Why did you burn down those forests?"

"Ooh, so angry!" Pyro pursed his lips, "Everyone needs a little bit of entertainment now an then. Besides, I needed to test out this equipment." He held up the tanks hooked up to his arms, "They've got a lot more kick than the old babies."

"That's it?! You burnt down innocent trees to test your equipment?" Avalanche narrowed his eyes in a seething glare.

Pyro laughed, "Pretty much." he aimed his tanks, "Now, let's take care of your friends, eh?" he opened the tanks and blew a cloud of fine in Avalanche's direction. Avalanche dived out of the way just before the flames engulfed the door. Pyro closed the tanks and the fire dissipated. The door had melted into a tick glop of metal blocking the entrance, "That should keep 'em away for a bit. Now, let's chat, eh?"

Avalanche stood up straight, "Yeah, let's!" he held his hand above the ground and rolled his eyes back, "Grah!" The earth began to shake violently. Pyro lost his balance and fell on his backside. He held his tanks up and shot fire into the air. The fire got dangerously close to Avalanche's face. Avalanche flipped back and held his hands on the ground, "Not that easy!" he shook the earth even more. the ground under Pyro split in half. Pyro rolled to the side just in time to miss the crack. He slowly stood and fired again. Avalanche ducked behind a pile of metal and wood. The wood caught aflame, but the metal was able to resist the fire momentarily. Aavalanche stood up a bit, "Man, it's times like this when I wish I had my old helmet back!" he dug his fingers into the ground and shook the building. The flames lowered.

"Where are you?!" Pyro called out in a furious growl, "We aren't done yet, mate!"

"No, we aren't, _pal_!" Avalanche made a spike of earth come up from the ground and knock Pyro over.

Pyro smirked as he caught a glimpse of Avalanche's head, "Found you, Avalanche!" he burnt a rope holing a pile of wood above Avalanche's head in half. The wood toppled on top of Avalanche with a burst of saw dust. The shakes stopped. Pyro stood up, the devilish smirk still on his face.


	8. chapter e i g h t

chapter** e i g h t**

From behind the pile of lumber Shadowcat phased up through the ground and took Avalanche's hand, dragging him out.

"Lance!" she said in a hoarse whisper, waking Avalanche up.

His eyes widened at the sight of her face peering down at him, "Kitty! Get out of here! It's too dangerous!" Avalanche got up to his knees.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Shadowcat said strongly before a laugh broke out.

"I can hear you two!" Pyro cackled before releasing an army of flames out of his tanks. Shadowcat grabbed hold of Avalanche as the flames phased through both of them. She stood up, as did Avalanche. They both ran out of the flames and dived in different directions. Wolverine's claws stabbed through the melted door and cut a door way from him to come through, "And who's this now?! Mister Pocket-Knife?" Pyro mocked before sending flames Wolverine's way. Wolverine ducked under the flames and rolled toward Pyro. He grabbed Pyro's collar as he aimed his tanks at him.

"Don't even try it, bub." Wolverine snarled.

Pyro's eyes widened with fear. Gambit dropped from the ceiling and kicked Wolverine in the back of the neck, "I wouldn't try hurting him, either." He said with his thick Cajun accent.

Avalanche stood up straight and held his hands over the ground once again, causing another earthquake, "Stay away from him!" he ordered.

Gambit grabbed hold of a rope hanging from the ceiling and swung toward Avalanche kicking him in the chest and knocking him over. Pyro gave a playful salute to Gambit and began to send flames toward Shadowcat. Avalanche tried to get up, but was kicked in the stomach by Gambit. Gambit pulled out the ace of spades and charged it. He dropped it in front of Avalanche and ran back to the center of the room. Avalanche, upon seeing the card, quickly got up and began to run. The card exploded, sending a shock wave that knocked Avalanche back down again. Shadow cat ran through a wall and out of the flames reach. She then came up behind Pyro and ran her hand through his tanks, short-circuiting the triggers. Pyro roared in frustration before swinging his arm around and slamming Shadowcat's temple. She flew back and hit a pile of metal before falling to the ground lifelessly.

Wolverine looked up and saw her laying on the ground, "Shadowcat!" he called.

When he heard her name Avalanche looked in he direction, "Kitty!"

Gambit landed in front of him, "I would pay more attention to your own fight, if I were you." he grabbed Avalanche's collar and threw him into a wall. Wolverine tackled Pyro with a roar, his claws extending with a glint of light. Avalanche slowly got up, a look of pure anger crossing his eyes. The stare even unnerved Wolverine.

"You burn down forests... Hurt my friends... and hurt Kitty! I'm tired of it!" the earth began to shake as he began to scream, rolling his eyes back. His eyes began to glow a light green as forest colored energy flew up and out of the ground like electricity and fog mixed together. He roared in anger and the earth shook. The floor began to feel more like an ocean at storm rather than stable land. Avalanche tightened his arms as the energy flew around him. Gambit lost his balance and was thrown back into a wall, hitting Pyro along the way. The enemies were down, but Avalanche was still enraged. The earth quaked with his fury. The tiles on the floor flew up into the air and broke against the walls. Wolverine dropped to his knees, staring at Avalanche in awe. Avalanche was engulfed with the green energy as his hair flew up with a gust of wind.

Wolverine called out, "Calm down! It's over, Lance!" The ground still shook, "Kid! I know you're upset, but you could hurt Kitty!" Avalanche's face relaxed from it furious expression. The energy slowly faded, along with the tremors it brought with it. Avalanche stood weakly on the now cracked and broken tiles of the mill. His knees buckled as he gave a moan of pain. He fell to his knees and closed his eyes.

"It hurts!" he cried out before clutching his arms. The energy had felt like wooden splinters coursing through his body. His hair fell limply over his shoulder as he winced. He tried to move his right wrist, but the energy had strained the bone so much that is had sprained it.

Jean climbed through the door, followed by Cyclops and Rogue, "Kitty!" she shouted before darting to her side.

Cyclops looked around the area, "Is this all Lance's work?"

"Yeah. The kid here channeled energy from the earth to do this." Wolverine stated while helping Avalanche stand by pulling his arm around his neck.

Rogue slowly walked over to Gambit, laying unconscious by Pyro. She got down on one knee and pulled his hari out of his eyes, "Your hair's grown..." she said softly.

"I thought you'd like it." Gambit said in a strained whisper. Rogue jumped at his sudden awakening.

"Don't talk, you could be pretty hurt."

"I'm not. Besides, I need to take Pyro back." Gambit stood up and rubbed his head, "Your friend packs quite a punch."

"He's not my friend. He's just some guy Kitty likes. If you're gonna go, go." she said dryly, crossing her arms.

"As you wish, cherrie." he bowed a bit and picked up Pyro before carrying him out.

Jean stood up, "She's not waking up!"

Avalanche quickly looked over, "What?!" He saw Rogue and Cyclops run to Shadowcat's side, "Let me go.." He slipped his arms out of Wolverine's grasp before running over to the group, Wolverine following.

"She's not breathing!" Cyclops sat up from listening to he mouth.

Avalanche froze up with fear. Take energy from me, give it to her. he heard. He put his hand firmly on the ground, "Move out of the way."

Cyclops and Rogue stared at him, "What is it?" Cyclops asked wearily.

Avalanche held his hand against her chest and closed his eyes. Rogue jumped, "What are you doing?!"

"Quiet! I think I can channel energy into her..." he hissed, trying to focus. He felt the warmth of the energy climb into his arm and move through his chest. He concentrated the energy into the hand on Shadowcat, then released it gently into her. He suddenly felt bits of energy drain from him, taken along with the earth's energy. She took a sudden deep breath in. Avalanche smiled tiredly, "There..."

Cyclops leaned down again, "She's breathing! She's okay!"

Avalanche felt extremely dizzy, like he had just been struck in the back of the head, or touched by Rogue. He lost his bearings and fell back into Wolverine's chest. Shadowcat slowly opened her eyes, "Scott, Jean, Rogue? What are you guys doing here? Where's Lance?" She pushed herself up with the help of Jean. She saw Avalanche being held closely by Wolverine, "Lance!"

"We need to get him back to the institute, now!" Wolverine ordered.


	9. chapter n i n e

chapter** n i n e**

"He's recovering, but that was a serious energy drain." Hank walked out of the infirmary room, taking a pair of half framed glasses off of his face to wipe clean with his shirt, "He's going to need to stay in bed over the weekend."

"And his wrist?" Kitty cut in worryingly.

Hank blinked and slipped his glasses back on, "Yes, well, that should heal in about a month. You can go see him now." He smiled warmly, "But I have to ask, how exactly did he save you?" Hank asked out of curiosity once the door to the infirmary closed.

Jean shrugged, "I have no idea. He just said something about channelling energy and held his hand against her chest. Next thing I know, she's breathing." she explained, "That was it."

Scott bit his lip, "Maybe he was channelling earth's energy."

Logan crossed his arms, "Yeah, but that wouldn't explain why his energy was drained..."

Hank rubbed his chin, "It could've been that his energy mixed with the earth's energy and was taken with it."

"Either way, I don't think he'll be doing that for a while." Jean put her hand on her hip.

_weekend passes_

* * *

Lance sat calmly in his bed, playing with ace wrap around his wrist, "Hey there." Kitty smiled at him as she closed the door behind her, a plate with a meat loaf sandwich on it in her hands, "How are you feeling knowing you'll be out of here a a bit?"

"As good as I can be." He smirked playfully at her, pursing his lips ever so slightly.

"Well, I hope this makes you feel better, here." She handed the plate to his good hand, "I made it myself."

Lance smiled at the sandwich and took a huge bite, "Mm! This is great!" he began to chow down.

A huge, joyous smile crossed Kitty's lips, "You like it? Nobody likes my food!"

Lance put the sandwich down, "Well, seeing as I usually only ate ramen noodles and cereal with the Brotherhood, and then went to Japan to go on a diet of fish and rice, this is a really good change!" he took another bite with a happy smile, "I mean- with Pietro and the other guys all we had in our fridge was a pack of bologna, a carton of milk and a few eggs. None of us really knew how to cook."

Kitty's heart sank a bit, "Poor you." she whimpered sympathetically, "How did you deal with it?"

"Same thing as with my clothes, just ignore the fact that I don't have anything." Lance took another bite.

Kitty pouted with sorrow, "What do you mean with you clothes?"

"There's a reason why I wear the same clothes everyday." Lance put the empty plate on the end table, "I don't have anything else..."

Kitty's jaw dropped, "That's it!" Kitty grabbed a hold of his good wrist and helped him out of bed, "It time makeover!"

Lance's eye widened with surprise, "Wait, what? Kitty!" he cried as he was pulled out of the room.

* * *

"I still don't see why you had to drag me along too. We could've just ordered him some shirts and pants out of a catalog and stayed at home." Logan said dryly and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the changing rooms.

"Tsk, Logan you have no sense for social excursion!" Kitty pursed her lips with a smile, "Live a little! Besides, you're giving the manly view on things, y'know? Lance, are you ready yet?"

"I feel silly..." Lance grumbled from behind the door.

"Don't worry! C'mon and show us!" Kitty giggled. Lance opened the door, revealing the v-neck sweater and pair of Chinos he was dressed in, "You look so great!"

Logan raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Now I know who shops for Kurt... Take that off, kiddo... You look like a dweeb just waiting to get the snot kicked out of him."

Lance looked down and blushed, "Told you I looked silly." Kitty sighed and putted a hip out.

"What do suggest, then, Logan?"

"The kid doesn't need to be dressed like a geek, he needs leather and denim."

--

"Ready yet?" Kitty knocked on the door, "You've been in there for like- ten minutes."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a sec." He opened the door, now dressed in a denim jacket, a pair of levi 501s, and a black t-shirt.

"I've seen this outfit before, Logan... Maybe because it the same as yours?!" Kitty crossed her arms and looked back a Logan.

"It's what a guy needs. Nothin' more." Logan crossed his arms defiantly at her.

Lance sighed and dropped his head, raising his hands, "Okay, howabout I get some clothes myself..." he sighed.

--

The door opened. Lance now wore a dark brown leather jacket, a pair of rip and patch covered jeans, an Aerosmith t-shirt, and a pair of leather finger gloves. Kitty smiled and blushed a bit, "Wow! That looks good on you." She clasped her hands together.

"So what now?" Lance asked.

"Oh, this is just the start." Kitty gave a playful grin.

Lance raised his eyebrows in confusion, "There's more?"

"Well - duh." Kitty flipped her hair out of her face, "You need more clothes than just that, and your hair is like-... so drab."

Lance ruffled his hair a bit, "Drab...?"

* * *

Logan opened the door for Lance, holding a pair of bags in his other hand. Lance tiredly walked through the door, his hair styled and his feet dragging along the floor, holding four bags, two in each hand. Kitty skipped after him, "Okay, you have to admit that was fun, right?"

Lance looked over his shoulder at her, "Sure..." Once he looked forward, he dropped his bags.

Logan looked forward as well, giving a surprised stare.

"What?" Kitty blinked before following their gazes, "Pietro?! What ere you doing here?!"

Pietro turned, "What do you mean? I just joined the X-Men."

* * *

_:Hello all! I've decided to end this story, seeing as I've covered the subject needed. I'm going to write a new story called "Speed Demon" that is a sequel. I don't know when to expect it, due to my writer's block. I'm going to try and write a few one shots or low-chapter count stories to get my juices flowing to write "Speed Demon" as best I can. Thanks for reading!:  
_

* * *


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